817 
M3M2 


MARICOPA  COUNTY 


BANCROFT 
LIBRARY 


BANCROFT 
LIBRARY 


[BRARY 


UNIVERSITY 
CALIFORNIA 


MARICOPA 
"COUNTY 
ARIZONA, 

This  folder  is  issued  by  J.  \V.  Crenshaw, 
Commissioner  of  Immigration  forlMaricopa 

/•   ""  *  ••  "^"^5^  1 

County,  Anzo*«K  by  authority  of  the  Board 
of  Supervisors,  and  is  endorsed  by  tbe  Phoenix 
and  Mancopa  County  Board  of  Trade. 

Designed,  Engraved  and  Printed  by 

Norman  Pierce  Company 

San  Francisco 

1905 


A  valley  of  farm  land  witb  soil  of  unsurpassed  fertility 

walled  in  by  lulls  rick  in  minerals, tnat,  in  brief,  is  Maricopa 

County,  Arizona.  To  it  are  invited  tbe  borne-seeker  and  tbe 
investor  wbo  are  looking  for  golden  opportunities  amid  tbe  most 
favorable  surroundings. 

Maricopa  County  contains  7,500  square  miles,  or  an  area 
equal  to  tbat  of  tbe  states  of  Connecticut  and  Rbode  Island 
combined,  yet  it  is  not  tbe  largest  county  in  tbe  great  Territory 
of  Arizona,  but  only  one  of  tbe  tbirteen  counties  making  up 
tbe  113,000  square  miles  witbm  tbe  boundaries  of  tbe  Territory. 
^iVitbin  tbe  county  lies  tbe  largest  body  of  cultivated  land  in 
tbe  Territory,  known  as  tbe  Salt  River  Valley,  irrigated  by  tbe 
Salt,  Verde,  and  Gila  Rivers,  wbicb  are  tbe  largest  flood 
streams  of  tbe  Soutbwest,  barring  tbe  Colorado. 

Situated  in  tbe  soutb  central  portion  of  tbe  Territory,  and 
witb  railroad  lines  tapping  tbe  neb  mineral  sections  surrounding 
it,  Maricopa  County  is  tbe  natural  garden  spot  of  Arizona  and 


the  chief  source  of  agricultural  products  for  the  Territory. 
Naturally,  too,  her  cities  and  towns  have  become  the  principal 
distributing  points  for  all  classes  of  supplies  going  to  the  surround- 
ing mining  camps  and  settlements.  ^Vithm  the  principal  valleys 
of  the  county  are  over  500,000  acres  of  tillable  land.  In  this 
connection  it  is  -well  to  remember  that  one  acre  in  an  irrigated 
district  is  equal  to  at  least  four  acres  in  a  ram  country  owing  to 
the  multiplying  of  crops  and  the  constantly  renewed  fertility  of 
the  soil. 

Based  upon  the  solid  foundation  of  agriculture  is  the  pros- 
perity of  Maricopa  County,  and  underlying  this  foundation  is 
the  constancy  and  regularity  of  irrigation  water  supply  in  the 
Salt  River  Valley  now  assured  by  the  building  of  the  1  onto 
Dam  by  the  Reclamation  Service  of  the  national  government. 
For  years  the  Salt  River  Valley  has  been  irrigated  and  culti- 
vated by  the  settlers  of  modern  times.  So  level  is  its  surface 
that  it  is  believed  the  land  was  smoothed  by  ancient  irrigators. 


probably  the  Toltecs  or  pre- 
Aztec  lineage.    At  tKe  present 
time  great  canals,  some  of  them 
respectable    rivers    in    capacity, 
take    the    river's    supply  of   life- 
giving  -water  far  off  upon  the  thirsty 
plain  to  distribute  it  upon  fertile  farms. 
Formerly   the  -water  supply  -was    inter- 
mittent,  in    that    the    river  at   times    carried 
great   floods   -which   ran   to    the    sea   owing   to    the    lack 
of  means  to  store  them.      Only  a  certain  volume  of  -water  could  be 
carried  by  the   canals,  and  the  remainder,  flowing  through  the   rivers 
to  the  Gulf  of  California,  was  wasted  so  far  as  the  people  of  the  Salt 
River  Valley  were  concerned.       ^iVith  the   passage   of  the  National 
Irrigation  Law  came  opportunity  to  end  the  uncertainty  of  water  sup- 
ply by  the  promise  of  means  to   store  the  flood  -waters  for  future  use. 
One  of  the  first  to  be  decided  upon  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior, 
and  also   one  of  the  largest — the   Salt  River  project,  as  it  is  officially 
known — is    the    solution  of   the  problem  of  irrigation  water  supply 
in  this  valley. 

The  Tonto   Dam  and  Reservoir,  as  they  are  known  locally  from 
their    location    just    below   the  junction  of  Tonto   Creek  -with    Salt 


til 
a 


ectric 


River,   will    give    an    assured 
supply  of  water  for  about  200,- 
000  acres  of  land  in  Salt  River 
Valley.      This     includes     several 
thousand  acres  which  will  he  irri- 
gated   with    water  pumped  from 
underground  supply  hy  means  or  el 
power  generated  at  the  dam.     The  Tonto  Dam, 
•which  will  he  the  highest  in  the  world  and  the  next 
largest  to  the  great  Assouan  Dam  across  the  Nile,  is  seventy  miles 
from  Phoenix,  hut  the  land  to  he  irrigated  from  it  lies  within  a  radius 
of  twenty  miles  around  the  city.     The  dam  is  reached  hy  a  -wonder- 
ful wagon  road  from  Mesa,  huilt  through  magnificent  mountain  scenery 
hy  means  of  honds  to  the  amount  of  $75,000  voted  hy    the  people 
of  Phoenix,  Tempe  and  Mesa.      At  the   dam   site   is    the  construc- 
tion camp   of  Roosevelt  which  will  he   flooded"  -when  the  reservoir 
is  filled,  hut  -which  now  serves  its   purpose  as  the   headquarters   for 
hundreds  of  husy  workmen. 

Built  of  huge  hlocks  of  hard,  red  sandstone  laid  in  cement  in  the 
most  permanent  of  masonry  construction,  the  Tonto  Dam  -will  tower 
270  feet  ahove  its  foundations  on  hedrock  thirty  feet  helow  low- 
water  mark.  This  means  240  feet  of  structure  ahove  the  surface, 


making  it  the  highest  dam  in  the  United  States.  As  an  outlet 
for  the  reservoir,  a  tunnel  450  feet  long  has  heen  constructed 
through  the  canyon  -wall  around  the  point  where  one  end  of  the 
dam  -will  he  huilt  into  the  rock  side  wall.  During  construction 
this  tunnel  -will  carry  the  diverted  -waters  of  the  river  so  that 
excavations  for  the  foundations  may  go  on  uninterruptedly. 
The  tunnel  is  closed  hy  a  series  of  six  mammoth  gates  of  steel, 
weighing,  -with  their  operating  machinery,  nearly  800,000 
pounds,  and  which  will  regulate  the  emptying  of  the  reservoir 
water. 

To  carry  flood  waters  around  the  ends  of  the  dam  when  the 
reservoir  is  full,  two  spill-ways,  each  200  feet  in  width,  are  cut 
in  the  solid  rock  twenty  feet  lower  than  the  crest  of  the  dam. 
Concrete  steel  arch  hndges  200  feet  long  will  span  the  spillways 
and  carry  a  road-way  across  the  top  of  the  dam.  Behind  the 
dam  will  stretch  the  greatest  artificial  reservoir  in  the  -world, 
— a  hody  of  -water  twenty-five  miles  long  and  with  an  average 


width  of  one  and  one-naif  miles,  and  with  a  capacity  for  im- 
pounding 1,100,000  acre  feet  of  water.  This  means  that  the 
water,  if  spread  out  one  foot  deep,  would  cover  over  a  million 
acres,  or  an  area  equal  to  that  of  the  land  surface  of  the 
•whole  state  of  Rhode  Island  and  700  square  miles  in  Con- 
necticut in  addition. 

For  thirty  miles  helow  the  dam  Salt  River  flows  through 
a  precipitous  canyon  and  this  natural  waterway  will  be  the 
outlet  for  the  reservoir.  At  the  mouth  of  the  canyon,  and  just 
below  the  junction  of  the  Verde  with  Salt  River,  is  a  diver- 
sion dam  which  turns  the  -water  from  its  natural  course  into 
giant  canals  to  be  thence  distributed  over  the  valley.  By  the 
time  the  Tonto  Dam  is  completed  this  diversion  dam  -will  be 
replaced  by  a  masonry  dam,  set  permanently  upon  bedrock,  to 
turn  the  combined  flow  of  these  two  rivers  into  a  dozen  main 
canals  by  means  of  huge  headgates  on  each  side  of  the  river. 

It  is  not  expected  that  the  whole  supply  of   the  reservoir 


be  used  in  any  one  year,     ^Hiile  it  takes  about 
over  naif  or  this  supply  is  received  from  the  natural 
filled,  •would   suffice    for  about  three   years    supply  IT 
natural  sources. 

Tne  cost  or  tne  reservoir  project — about  $4,000, 
without  interest,  in  ten  annual  instalments  beginning 
acres  to  be  benefited  this  would  make  the  cost  twent 
district  has  been  withdrawn  from  entry  in  connection 
about  125,000  acres  are  in  cultivation,  which  will 
deficiency  in  tbeir  annual  supply.  Trie  remainder  of 
once  reclaimed  but  for  which  water  has  been  lacki 
The  first  object  is  to  protect  homes  already  made,  an( 
reclaimed  land  to  160  acres  or  less.  Intensive  farmir 
\Vhen  the  water  is  supplied  to  tne  soil  through 
then  furrows  or  flooding,  tbe  question  arises,  what  maj 
•will  grow  in  temperate  and  semi-tropic  regions  will  1 
crop,  and  with  good  water  conditions  five  or  six  crop; 
two  tons  to  the  acre,  and  the  hay  in  the  stack  is  woi 
thousands  of  cattle  are  driven  down  from  the  mountain 
valley  and  then  sold  for  beef.  Dairying  is  another 
into  readily  marketable  products  of  milch  herds. 

-wheat,  barley,  oats,  corn,  and  sorghum 
vallev,  the  farmers  excel  in  special  products.  Orange 
be  marketed  a  month  earlier  1 
the  finest  known  in  the  Eas 
and,  pickled  or  pressed  into  oil 
Apricots,  figs,  lemons,  peaches, 
berries,  watermelons,  and  can 
products  of  the  Salt  River  V 
the  United  States  Agricultu 
the  success  of  date  culture,  an 
happy  result.  Conditions  ar 
poultry  raiser  -who  has  a  nev 

A    word    about    climate 
winters  with  their  accompan; 
Maricopa  County  frost  is  ra 
Salt  River  V  alley  it  is  scare. 
dom  in  this  valley  that  during 


r  acre  feet  of  water  to  carry  a  crop  through  the  year, 
-  of  the  river.  At  this  rate,  the  reservoir,  when  once 
more  -water  should  he  added  to  it  in  that  time  from 

,-- is  to  he  repaid  the  national  government  as  a  loan 
:n  the  dam  is  completed.  Divided  among  the  200,000 
•liars  an  acre.  All  the  puhlic  land  within  the  reservoir 
th  this  reclamation  project.  Under  present  conditions 
receive  the  benefits  or  stored  water  to  make  up  the 
area  in  the  reservoir  district  will  he  made  up  of  lands 
under  natural  conditions  in  recent  years  of  drought, 
en  to  make  new  ones  hy  limiting  individual  holdings  or 
rill  then  he  the  rule,  and  not  ^tensive, 
distributing  system  of  main  canals,  laterals,  ditches,  and 
raised?  In  brief,  the  answer  is,  that  anything  which 
re  in  the  Salt  River  Valley.  Alfalfa  is  the  foundation 
.y  be  cut  in  a  year.  Each  cutting  averages  from  one  to 
about  five  dollars  a  ton  for  cattle  feeding.  Every  year 
iges  to  be  fattened  on  the  50,000  acres  of  alfalfa  in  the 
ns  of  realizing  large  returns  from  alfalfa  when  turned 


grown  in  quantities  more  than  the  necessities  of  this 
id  pomelos,  or  "grape  fruit,"  not  only  ripen  in  time  to 
.  from  other  localities,  but  are 
L  markets.  The  olive  thrives, 
of  the  finest  quality  and  flavor, 
pes,  pears,  pomegranates,  straw- 
•upes  are  standard  horticultural 
y.  In  an  orchard  near  T empe 
Department  has  demonstrated 
idividuals  have  reached  the  same 
xceptionally  favorable  for  the 
failing  market  for  his  products. 
•  those  who  are  tired  of  cold 
nt  of  frost,  snow,  and  ice.  In 
and  in  the  foothills  of  the  great 
ever  seen.  Snow  falls  so  sel- 
;  past  twenty-two  years  of  the 


•writer  s  residence  here  there  have 
been  but  two  very  light  snows,-- so 
light  in  fact  that  the  next  day  after 
there  -was  no   sign  of  snow   on   the 
ground.      The  -winters  are  ideal,  with 
a  maximum  of  sunshine  and  a  minimum 
of  cold  winds.    The  -wind  movement  rarely 
exceeds   five  miles  an  hour,  -while  the  average 
yearly  rainfall  is  only  seven  inches.      This  valley  is  free 
from  hurricanes,  cyclones,  and  tornadoes.      Such  disasters  have  never 
visited  this  section  of  the  country,  and  expert  observers  declare  that 
it  is  impossible  for  them  to  reach  the   Salt  River  Valley.      Although 
the   temperature  reaches  high  figures  in  summer,  it  is  accompanied  by 
little  humidity  and  in  consequence  sunstrokes  and  heat  prostrations  are 
unknown  among  men  or  animals.      This  county  is  free  from  malaria, 
chills  and  all  such  complaints. 

PHOENIX — Capital  city  of  Arizona  and  county  seat  of  Mari- 
copa  County.  Permanent  population,  12,000,  to  which  are  added 
bet-ween  3,000  and  4,000  tourist  visitors  every  -winter.  The  city 
comprises  over  2,000  acres  within  its  corporate  limits  and  is  laid  out 
with  wide  streets  and  side-walks.  Beautiful  parks  surround  the  public 
buildings,  -while  the  residence  streets  are  nicely  shaded.  Phoenix  has  a 
high  school,  grammar  school,  and  five  ward  schools  in  the  public  sys- 


railway 


tern  in  which  ah  out  1,700  children 
attended  school  last  year,  while  250 
were    enrolled    in   private    schools. 
Twelve    church    denominations    are 
represented   and  all  have  commodious 
houses  of  worship.     The  city  has  miles  01 
pleasant  drives  leading  to  the  surround 
agricultural  districts.     Four  lines  of  street 
with  twenty  miles  of  track  make  access  convenient  to 
all  parts  of  the  city  and  suhurhs.      Electric  communication  with  the 
outside  world  is  kept  up  through  the  lines  of  hoth  the  great  telegraph 
systems  and  hy  long  distance  telephone.     The  city  has  over  900  suh- 
scrihers  in  the  local  telephone  exchange.     The  people  of  Phoenix  have 
a  domestic  supply  of  pure  water  from  a  system  with  capacity  of  three 
million  gallons  a  day  pumped  from  a  deep  -well,  and  having  no  connec- 
tion whatever  -with  the  irrigating  system  supplied  with  water  from 
Salt  River.      The  altitude  of  Phoenix  is  only  1076  feet,  and  this,  com- 
hined  with  the  location  of  the  city  in  a  valley  almost  surrounded  hy 
hills,  makes  what  is  considered  an  ideal  winter  resort.       The  mean 
annual  temperature  is  69.3  degrees,  and  the  average  wind  velocity  is 
less  than  five  miles  an  hour.      Frosts  are  infrequent  and  then  light. 
The  finances  of  Phoenix  residents  and  visitors  are  -well  looked  after  hy 
five  hanking  institutions  with  correspondents  all  over  this  country  and 


abroad.  The  assessed  valuation  or  property  in  the  city  is  over 
five  millions  and  this  represents  probably  sixty  per  cent  of  tne 
actual  value.  Phoenix  has  all  the  conveniences  and  equipment  of 
the  most  modern  city,  including  electric  light  and  power,  gas  for 
illuminating  and  tor  fuel,  ice  factories,  creameries,  steam  laun- 
dries, machine  shops,  foundries,  and  various  other  manufacturing 
plants.  Three  daily  papers  give  the  news  of  the  -world,  aided  by 
several  weekly  publications.  A.  well-equipped  public  library, 
which  has  been  in  use  for  several  years,  will  soon  be  transferred 
to  a  $25,000  building  now  being  erected  through  the  gift  of 
Andrew  Carnegie.  Three  theaters,  various  halls,  and  two 
natatoriums  afford  places  of  amusement  and  recreation.  Golf 
and  tennis  grounds  are  maintained  at  the  Country  Club,  the  links 
being  among  the  finest  and  most  popular  in  the  Southwest  for 
winter  playing.  All  of  the  fraternal  orders  have  flourishing 
lodges  in  Phoenix,  some  of  them  owning  their  own  rooms  and 
buildings.  The  post-office  equipment  or  the  city  is  the  most  up- 
to-date  and  is  supplemented  by  four  rural  routes.  At  Phoenix 
is  located  the  Territorial  Fair  Association  with  commodious 
show  grounds  and  a  well-laid-out  track  with  all  accommodations 
for  the  best  winter  care  of  thoroughbred  horses  in  training. 


Three  miles  from  the  city  is  the  Phoenix  Industrial  Indian  School, 
where  over  700  Indian  children  from  thirty  different  trihes  are 
taught  manual  dexterity  and  how  to  he  self-supporting.  Three 
railroads  make  their  terminus  in  Phoenix.  The  Santa  Fe,  Pres- 
cott  and  Phoenix  is  a  branch  from  the  Santa  Fe  system,  connect- 
ing -with  the  main  line  at  Ash  Fork,  197  miles  to  the  north. 
From  Maricopa,  thirty-five  miles  to  the  south,  runs  the  Mari- 
copa  &?  Phoenix  &*  Salt  River  V  alley,  a  branch  connection  ot 
the  Sunset  Route  or  the  Southern  Pacific,  and  also  connecting 
with  the  transcontinental  trains  of  the  Rock  Island  system.  The 
Phoenix  &*  Eastern  is  another  Santa  Fe  line  in  construction 
southeastward  from  Phoenix,  now  in  operation  for  ahout  100 
miles  and  destined  to  he  a  link  in  a  low-grade  main  line. 

TEMPE--A  heautiful  little  town  of  1,500  inhabitants  lo- 
cated on  the  south  side  of  Salt  River  nine  miles  east  of  Phoenix, 
and  in  the  center  of  a  rich  agricultural  district.  Here  is  located 
the  Normal  School  of  Arizona,  with  a  commodious  group  of 
buildings  and  well-laid-out  grounds,  affording  accommodations 
for  an  enrollment  of  over  200  pupils.  A  municipal  plant  supplies 
an  abundant  water  service  for  domestic  and  fire  purposes.  Light 


is  furnished  by  an  electric  plant.  Churches,  schools,  and  fraternal 
organizations  are  representative  and  adequate.  A  condensed 
milk  plant  is  a  recently  established  industry. 

MESA  CITY — Sixteen  miles  east  from  Phoenix  is  the  "Gem 
City  ,  but  now  better  known  as  the  gateway  to  the  Tonto  res- 
ervoir. Mesa  is  the  nearest  railroad  point  to  the  dam  site  and 
construction  camp  of  Roosevelt  and  from  here  runs  a  magnifi- 
cent mountain  road  with  superb  scenery  along  nearly  tbe  whole 
of  its  60  miles.  Over  the  road  travel  daily  lines  of  stage  coaches, 
while  numerous  freighting  teams  are  engaged  in  carrying  -work- 
men and  supplies  to  the  great  engineering  work  in  the  heart  of 
the  mountains.  Mesa  has  a  high  school  and  contributary  graded 
schools  with  over  700  children  enrolled.  The  population  of  the 
town  is  about  1200.  As  the  center  of  a  country  especially 
favorable  for  growing  fruit,  grapes,  melons,  and  cantaloupes,  car- 
loads of  these  products  are  shipped  every  year  from  Mesa,  besides 
live  stock,  hogs,  and  sheep.  Mesa  is  the  center  of  the  largest 
operations  in  pumping  for  irrigation  purposes  from  the  almost 
inexhaustible  underground  supply  of  water.  Several  large  plants 
are  established  in  this  vicinity  and  are  in  successful  operation; 
one  alone  irrigating  over  3,000  acres  of  alfalfa. 


BUCKEYE — A  favorable  gram  and  alfalfa  growing  and 
cattle  feeding  district  30  miles  southwest  of  Phoenix,  with  which 
city  the  district  is  connected  by  stage  line  and  wagon  road.  The 
-Buckeye  canal  receives  an  abundant  supply  of  water  by  means 
of  a  diversion  dam  across  the  Gila  River,  below  its  confluence 
with  the  Salt  and  just  west  of  the  Agua  Fria  River.  Range 
cattle  are  driven  in  for  feeding  in  thousands  each  year  and  the 
exports  are  fat  cattle,  besides  hay,  gram,  and  hogs. 

ARLINGTON — "\Vest  of  Buckeye  and  also  receiving  its 
irrigation  supply  from  the  Gila  River,  west  of  the  Hassay- 
ampa.  Cattle  fattening,  hay  and  gram  growing  are  the  chief 
means  of  support  of  a  growing  and  thriving  population. 

AiVICKENBURG — Center  camp  of  a  mining  district  of 
promise,  -which  includes  parts  of  Mancopa  and  Yavapai  counties, 
is  located  on  the  Santa  Fe,  Prescott  &  Phoenix  Railroad,  about 
50  miles  from  Phoenix.  The  town  is  the  northernmost  in  Mar- 
icopa  County.  Through  discoveries  of  gold  in  the  near-by  hills 
the  town  is  growing  rapidly.  A  custom  smelter  is  promised  at 
an  early  date. 


ALHAMBRA-- 

A  suburban   hamlet,  4 
lies     north-west      of 
hoe  nix,     surrounded 
by     comfortable     rural 
homes.       Here  are  sit- 
uated  the  kilns  of   the 
Alhambra   Brick    Co. 

ALE — Another  suburban  hamlet,  9  miles  northwest  of  Phoenix, 
center  of  a  considerable  fruit  growing  section,  and  in  the  heart  of  the  beet  sugar  land 
of  the  Salt  River  Valley. 

PEORIA — Yet  farther  northwest  from  Phoenix  and  a  hamlet  surrounded 
by  ranches  or  promise. 

SCOTTSDALE — A  settlement  devoted  chiefly  to  health-seekers,  in  the  shelter 
of  the  hills,  12  miles  northeast  of  Phoenix  and  separated  from  the  principal  irrigated 
section  b>  a  wide  expanse  of  virgin  land  over  which  the  pure,  dry  air  circulates  freely. 

AGUA  CALIENTE — Hot  Springs  are  located  in  the  south-western  part 
of  Maricopa  County,  one  and  a  half  miles  north  of  the  Gila  River  and  12  miles 
north  of  Sentinel  Station  on  the  Southern  Pacific,  with  which  the  place  is  connected 
by  stage.  The  hot  water  from  the  springs  is  used  for  drinking  as  -well  as  bathing. 
The  temperature  of  the  -water  is  from  98  to  104  degrees  Fahr.,  and  the  resort  is 
patronized  by  those  seeking  rest  and  recuperation  as  well  as  by  those  -who  desire 
restoration  to  health. 

For  further  information  and  beautifully  illustrated  booklet,  send 
four  cents  in  stamps  to  Commissioner  of  Immigration,  Phoenix, 
Arizona,  or  Secretary  Board  of  Trade,  Phoenix,  Arizona. 


